Browsing by Author "Partanen, Juulia"

Original antigenic sin (OAS) is an immunological phenomenon in which an initial antigen dominates the immune response toward subsequently encountered closely related antigens. As a result, the immune response against the primary antigen is boosted and a specific immune response toward the infecting antigen is attenuated in heterologous secondary infections. This may have various consequences, including aggravation of heterologous secondary infections, complication of vaccine development, and disturbance of serological diagnostics. This thesis is a literature review describing OAS in selected human viral infections and its clinical impact. A publication I worked on, demonstrating OAS in human bocavirus infections for the first time, is included. This thesis discusses what is known to date, limitations of past studies and gives recommendations for future research. Understanding OAS is necessary for the development of safe and effective vaccines and therapies, and accurate diagnostics for some of the most devastating infections of our time.